Pink Block M Saturday
http://www.mgoblue.com/sports/m-footbl/spec-rel/101210aaa.html
I know it was briefly talked about in m.go.licio.us but there was further confirmation on events for Saturday's breast cancer awareness game. Along with the hats having pink trim and the shirts having a pink M on them, the student section will also be forming a block M in pink, instead of the usual blue.
In addition, the Block 'M' in the student section will be pink for the first time ever. The Block 'M' is normally formed through the help of Michigan students wearing blue t-shirts in the shape of the block M. This week the students that form the M will be wearing pink t-shirts.
October 13th, 2010 at 12:10 AM ^
I guess Iowa's locker rooms are in support of breast cancer
October 13th, 2010 at 12:36 AM ^
This is probably common knowledge around here, but Hayden Fry used to paint the visitor's locker room pink because it is supposed to make you more passive if you see pink. We had a pink master bathroom until we finally saved enough $ to renovate, and believe me, it works. With this new craze of coordinated dressing sweeping the nation, I expect Iowa will be the first place to have the side of the stadium that the visitors see wear pink, and the side that Iowa faces wear black.
October 13th, 2010 at 12:55 AM ^
Well I already knew about the pink locker rooms... that was a failed attempt at humor.
October 13th, 2010 at 12:02 AM ^
but, I would hope somewhere they could get in a reference to http://tiny.cc/DOMINATE or one of the gear sites. I mean, he is a former UoM player.
Kill me if its insensitive.
PS - How do I just link to a word instead of via tinyurl for a not that long URL?
October 13th, 2010 at 12:15 AM ^
Highlight the word and click on the link button with the world and a chain... then enter the URL.
October 13th, 2010 at 12:39 AM ^
maybe the NFL should pool all the money they spent on the hats, shirts, cleats, gloves and towels and donate it to something useful, like, i don't know, a breast cancer research fund, instead of wasting it on useless gear. slap a patch on the jersey, do a 30 second promo and cut a $10 million check, way more effective. it's not like anyone in the world is unaware of breast cancer anyway. i would imagine that my aunt, a breast cancer survivor, finds more value in 10 mill research dollars than peyton manning's pink chinstrap.
October 13th, 2010 at 1:38 AM ^
Am I the only one that thinks "pink chinstrap" sounds like a disturbing sex act? And that "Peyton Manning's pink chinstrap" sounds even worse?"
But yes, I think you're right. Ironically, there is a "sportingpink.com" ad for the Sports Authority on this page as we speak. I think "pink" has officially become a co-opted marketing machine.
October 13th, 2010 at 1:43 AM ^
lol maybe if it was a "red chinstrap"
October 13th, 2010 at 7:51 AM ^
Man I should have read ALL the comments before I posted. You beat me to my point.
October 13th, 2010 at 8:58 AM ^
All the pink football gear is just dumb. Makes me wonder if all football players/coaches/executives in the NFL etc. are closet fashionistas. Maybe they can add some lace jockstraps for cross dressing month and raise awareness for the plight of all the transexuals out there. Most of us take it for granted when we enter public bathrooms but for those born with ambigous gender have you ever consider what a tortuous decision that might be? Men's room or Women's room but what if you're not sure the answer to that simple question. Why do we allow architects to continue to taunt people in such a way? Now that's a cause that could use awareness.
October 13th, 2010 at 6:41 AM ^
of course you douchers would find something to complain about with raising awareness for breast cancer. I for one think it is awesome to have a pink block M in the student section.
if you want to support other cancers, diseases, disorders, and other charities then support them and stop bitching. We all groups and issues we want to raise awareness. I support general cancer research through Team in Training for the marathons I run (I try to run at least one per year).
October 13th, 2010 at 10:14 AM ^
I don't think anybody is opposed to raising money to research breast cancer, so "douchers" is a bit uncalled for. I know I have zero issues with working to cure breast cancer, which is an awful disease, but I'm a bit uncomfortable with how over-the-top the pink thing is getting. I think the issues people have are threefold:
1) The idea of an "awareness" month just sounds silly when clearly everyone is aware of breast cancer. In fact, they may be too aware, since I'm sure many people think more women die from breast cancer than from heart disease, and this causes many women to overlook heart disease as a "men's problem".
2) The tremendous amount of attention paid to breast cancer seemingly comes at the expense of other diseases, e.g. prostate cancer, or even lung cancer (which kills more women than breast cancer). Why are breast cancer survivors / victims the only ones that matter? They're certainly the ones we see on TV all the time. How many people are aware the September was "Prostate Cancer Awareness Month"? How many people are aware that men get prostate cancer at a higher rate than women get breast cancer (got that from the CDC - prostate cancer incidence - breast cancer incidence). Actually, I didn't even know that until I researched this five minutes ago.
3) The "pink" thing is played out, and has become a cheap (and kind of gross) marketing ploy - "Come spend $100 at our store because we've plastered pink all over it and we'll give a dime to breast cancer research". Cancer research money = good, making piles of money off of promoting cancer research = kind of gross. It's also a cheap out - "Look, I'm solving breast cancer by wearing pink! I don't need to do anything else because I'm raising awareness!"
So I have mixed feelings. Cancer research is good, and I'd like the block M idea if it were original, but it feels like we're jumping on a bandwagon driven by cynical marketing types. I also feel like the pink thing is a fad, and in a few years we're going to move on from breast cancer to the next disease-du-jour (it used to be AIDS), and cancer research will suffer. It's aggravating.
October 13th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^
My family has not been touched by breast cancer, but it has been brutalized by lung cancer. My mother,maternal grandfather and paternal grandmother died from this most widespread of cancers. It deserves ad much attention as any disease.
October 13th, 2010 at 10:57 AM ^
I have family affected by cardiovascular disease, cancer (particularly bone and lung cancer), and diabetes. My personal research also impacts cardiovascular disease and blood borne diseases such as a bacterial meningitis. Finally as an educator, I understand not everyone is as educated as those that have experience at the higher education level and may not understand the direct personal impact of many issues in your own personal life. Therefore, sometimes these awareness campaigns are necessary to "drum up" research and health care funding.
1) If you are tired of some other issue getting more press or awareness over the one you are passionate about, then do something about it. Volunteer, write to your representatives, campaign publicly for more funding to increase and/or research for the issue(s). Bitching about why your particular issue(s) should have more awareness or publicity solves nothing.
2) The Susan G Koleman society funding from pink campaigns goes directly towards publicity, health care for those that cannot afford treatment and detection, and towards research of possible therapeutics. I love it. My personal biochemical research is not even remotely related to oncological disorders but any campaign that increases our knowledge and treatment is great.
I understand where you are coming from. Heck there was a South Park episode dedicated towards issues such as AIDS/HIV research that are suddenly not the issue du jour (the issue where Cartman and Kyle contract HIV and the cure for HIV is basically concentrated amount of money thrown at the virus). Bitching about it on a freaking sports message board does jack aquat. Conserve your energy towards actually helping out the issue you are passionate about. If you are worried about where the money is going, then research the foundation and see how they funnel their donations.
For those that negged me. get a life and quit living on a message board bitching about issues that don't get publicity. Actually do something about the issues you are passionate about. I am sick and tired of the whining in this country.
October 13th, 2010 at 8:13 PM ^
1) If you are tired of some other issue getting more press or awareness over the one you are passionate about, then do something about it.
You're acting as if nobody does. Expressing a desire to see less pink for breast cancer and more other stuff is emphatically not the same thing as doing nothing for causes we do support. But there's no marketing machine behind the other causes, and that's not something most people are in position to create. A lot of the pink frustration stems from the fact that people do do something about the issues that they're passionate about and still they get pink thrown in their face and told they're "bitching" and being heartless bastards when they don't also want to jump on the pink PC-wagon.
October 13th, 2010 at 7:52 AM ^
I don't know why it has to be pink. Men are totally capable of getting breast cancer (I know someone whose father died of it), so why not a gender neutral color?
EDIT: Part of post removed because someone right above me said the same thing. DOH!
October 13th, 2010 at 10:00 AM ^
Supporting breast cancer research and treatment is really a great and noble thing to do. I wish that they paid the same amount of attention to prostate cancer, or had celebrated Prostate Cancer Awareness Month in a comparable fashion to the attention they are giving Breast Cancer Awareness Month. Did anyone even know that September was Prostate Cancer Awareness Month?
October 13th, 2010 at 9:35 AM ^
Are there really people who are still unaware of breast cancer? I know this is all very noble but seriously, what does it accomplish?
October 13th, 2010 at 10:13 AM ^
and the #1 cancer in women is.......lung cancer.
October 13th, 2010 at 10:20 AM ^
I think its a great idea, The pink block will be goin crazy after we bounce back with fury against IOWA...
October 13th, 2010 at 10:21 AM ^
You'd think from some of these responses that this isn't a noble or worthwhile cause. What harm can possibly come from this? Does it offend your sense of fashion to see players and coaches wearing pink? Honestly, I don't see what the fuss is all about.
October 13th, 2010 at 10:50 AM ^
No, people aren't saying raising awareness for breast cancer is bad. Read gdub's reply above. The point is, the "raising awareness" thing has been co-opted for commercial purposes (read the reply above from the guy who works in marketing where they did a cold calculus on why to support the cause-- more profits), and may not be the best use of social utility vis-a-vis cancer research, when a.) prostate cancer has a higher incidence in men than breast cancer in women or men; b.) lung cancer and heart disease kill more women every year. It's a valid discussion to have.
October 13th, 2010 at 11:12 AM ^
I've been bitching about this for weeks now. I am so tired of the "awareness". Who is not aware? I keep having the same argument regarding heart disease and and lung cancer as well.
October 13th, 2010 at 11:19 AM ^
I agree that the "awareness" thing has been done to the point of redundancy, but come on man. We're talking about breasts. Beautiful, wonderful breasts (and the women that are attached to them). Breasts are a gift from God, and IMHO, any known predator of them (and the women that are attached to them) should be exposed constantly. Breasts are soft, supple, wonderful, and warm. They make you feel better when you're down on yourself. They are my favorite cause.
Also, the women that are attached to them.
October 13th, 2010 at 11:05 AM ^
I thought this thread would be an appropriate place to spread awareness about a new invention I've been working on. It's a cutting edge round beer can, in the shape of a breast. It's a breast can. Just pop the nipple off and drink your choice of refreshing ale.
When you see your favorite beers offered in my new can, be sure to ask for it by name. "Give me a breast can, sir!", or "I'll have some breast cans, sir!", will go a long way to spreading awareness about what I'm sure will be a big hit.
October 13th, 2010 at 11:09 AM ^
Never mind, opinion previously stated.
October 13th, 2010 at 11:36 AM ^
October 13th, 2010 at 3:21 PM ^
October 13th, 2010 at 12:26 PM ^
the block M on the field! Help save second base!